A warm, nutritious bowl of chili is the ultimate dish for chilly days, packed with a variety of ingredients. While visiting home for Christmas, I browsed through my mom’s Real Simple magazine and stumbled upon a recipe for vegetarian chili featuring sweet potatoes. I thought to myself, “Sweet potatoes and veggie chili? Two of my favorite ingredients combined?!” Instantly, this recipe climbed to the top of my cooking list, and I eagerly tore out the pages to keep it safe. Typically, when I prepare veggie chili, I toss in all the vegetables I have available, along with whatever beans and tomatoes I can find in my pantry. However, this time, I mostly adhered to the recipe, and the result was absolutely delicious.
Have you ever added sweet potatoes to your chili? You really should give it a try!
Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- chopped
- 1 green bell pepper
- chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato
- peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
- pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
- 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans
- 2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions:
- In a 4-to-6 quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat
- warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped vegetables (onion
- peppers
- and sweet potatoes) and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook
- stirring occasionally
- until the onions start turning translucent
- about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and spices (chili powder
- cumin
- cayenne
- cocoa powder
- cinnamon
- and another dash of salt and pepper) and liquid ingredients (tomatoes
- beans
- and broth)
- and stir. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook
- stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer
- until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has reduced to a heartier consistency
- about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you would like an even thicker consistency
- use a potato masher to mash the chili until the texture suits your preferences. Season chili with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the chili into individual bowls
- garnish as desired and serve.